By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams women’s ice hockey team was shut out 2-0 in conference play against the Anna Maria College Amcats on home ice at the New England College Sports Arena Feb. 1. Their overall record currently stands at 0-16. The numbers for this season look bleak to the average fan, but there have been marked improvements for this team, and Head Coach Robert Lavin said he is proud of their most recent performances against the Amcats and Plymouth State University, the top team in the MASCAC. With a short bench this season, the team has been operating on two main lines, rotating players through shifts. Lavin said there have been adjustments based on injury or sickness, including moving freshman Ceira Garrity to defense and the additions of freshmen Amy and Alyssa Tansek. “[Garrity’s] been doing a great job back there for us. … The two new girls who transferred in, Amy and Alyssa Tansek, helped us immensely - it's taken the burden off the other girls having less than two lines,” Lavin said. In the net, freshman Lila Chamoun got the start against the Amcats and made 36 saves on 38 shots, improving her save percentage to .919 on the season. Chamoun has been a force this season and her style of play lends itself to the level of competition the team is striving for. Solid goaltending has made an incredible difference for this team and Chamoun, and freshmen Anna McGinty and Brigid Milligan have all made their mark in the net. Lavin said the three goalies complement each other’s style of play and add dimension to the team. “Anna's more traditional, positional, and she knows her angles. Lila is very reactionary - she plays with a lot of energy. Bridget's been battling in the net. … She had probably one of the toughest games against Worcester State a few weeks ago,” he added. Over the past 16 games, the goalies have faced an average of 57 shots per game from the opponent, but they each boast save percentages over .850. Lavin said their athleticism will only continue to grow due to the sheer number of shots they’re seeing. Against the Amcats, both teams combined for 12 penalties, drawing on special teams for both sides to make a difference in the match. Framingham has dealt with penalty trouble all season and has struggled with their power play, but Lavin said, “Our penalty kill has been totally 360 from last semester - we're killing off a lot of penalties at a higher percentage, which is good to see. It means we're getting more experience reading other teams.” As for the power play, Lavin said the team has been getting more pucks to the net, and “eventually, we’ll pop one.” Freshmen Petra Cernicek, Kalina Cochran, and Alyssa Tansek led the team in shots, combining for 13 of the 27 attempts on net. Women’s ice hockey will take the ice in another conference matchup at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Feb. 7. Lavin said the players can see that they are “cutting the gap” and they are continuing to show up at practice and “focus on the positives.”